24 April 2026, Juba, South Sudan.

On Friday, 24 April 2026, the Chairperson of the National Elections Commission (NEC) of South Sudan, Hon. Prof. Abednego Akok Kacuol and other senior NEC officials met with the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to South Sudan, H.E. A. Kosmodemiyanskiy.

The meeting was conducted in a constructive and cordial atmosphere, during which discussions focused on preparations for the forthcoming South Sudan General Elections scheduled for December 2026. The engagement provided an opportunity to exchange views on areas of potential cooperation in support of the electoral process.

The Russian Federation expressed its readiness to support the NEC in strengthening its institutional capacity. As an initial step, it was agreed that a few NEC staff members will participate in a training programme in the Russian Federation.

On 22nd December 2025 at the National Elections Commission HQs Office – Juba

On the Declaration of the National Geographical Constituencies for the December 2026 General Elections in the Republic of South Sudan

Prof. Abednego Akok Kacuol
Chairperson
National Elections Commission (NEC)

In reference to the decision made by the parties to the Agreement (R-ARCSS) on 10th December 2025 to delink the conduct of a new population Census and Constitution-making process as a pre-conditions for the conduct of General Elections in December 2026 and in accordance with the National Elections Act 2012 (Amendment) Act, 2023, section 4(1)(e) & (f) that gave the NEC powers to revert the country to use the constituencies of the 2010 General Elections for the upcoming December 2026 elections in the Republic of South Sudan.

Henceforth, the National Elections Commission hereby declares the 102 constituencies in accordance with the ten (10) States and the Three Administrative Areas as summarized follows:

1. Central Equatoria State (CES) has fourteen (14) National Constituencies.
2. Eastern Equatoria State has eleven (11) National Constituencies.
3. Western Equatoria State has eight (8) National Constituencies.
4. Jonglei State has seventeen (17) National Constituencies including Greater Pibor Administrative Area.
5. Unity State has seven (7) National Constituencies including Ruweng Administrative Area.
6. Upper Nile State has twelve (12) National Constituencies.
7. Lakes State has eight (8) National Constituencies.
8. Northern Bahr El Ghazal State has nine (9) National Constituencies.
9. Western Bahr El Ghazal State has four (4) National Constituencies.
10. Warrap State has twelve (12) National Constituencies including Abyei Administrative Area.

Thereafter, as per the section 41(1)(g) the public shall know the names and other details of the constituencies on the official website of the National Elections Commission and in the print media.

We thank all the media houses for coming to make the coverage of this press conference on the electoral process.

God bless the Republic of South Sudan.

Click link below to download the signed pdf version of the Press Statement:
https://nec.gov.ss/download/the-geographical-constituencies-for-the-national-legistlative-assembly/

The 102 Geographical Constituencies for National Legislative Assembly of the Republic of South Sudan for all Ten (10) States and Three Administrative Areas:

Central Equatoria State – Fourteen (14) Constituencies – National Legislative Assembly Seats

Eastern Equatoria State – Eleven (11) Constituencies – National Legislative Assembly Seats

Jonglei State – Seventeen (17) Constituencies – National Legislative Assembly Seats

Pibor Administrative Area

Unity State Seven (7) Constituencies – National Legislative Assembly Seats

Ruweng Administrative Area

Lakes State Eight (8) Constituencies – National Legislative Assembly Seats

Western Equatoria State Eight (8) Constituencies – National Legislative Assembly Seats

Northern Barh El Ghazal State Nine (9) Constituencies – National Legislative Assembly Seats

Western Barh El Ghazal State Four (4) Constituencies – National Legislative Assembly Seats

Warrap State Twelve (12) Constituencies – National Legislative Assembly Seats

Upper Nile State Twelve (12) Constituencies – National Legislative Assembly Seats

Juba, South Sudan – 21 October 2025:  The National Elections Commission (NEC) of South Sudan convened a high-level consultative meeting with key electoral stakeholders, including representatives from political parties, the High-Level Standing Committee on the Implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), the Political Party Council, the National Bureau of Statistics, the National Constitutional Review Commission, Transitional National Legislative Assembly, faith leaders, the election security coordination committee, civil society organisations, and the media to provide electoral updates and discuss critical actions needed to address the challenges impacting electoral preparations, including political decisions, legal clarity, and funding.

Held in Juba, the meeting aimed to foster collaboration, transparency, and mutual understanding among key electoral stakeholders in order to support preparations for an inclusive, credible, and peaceful electoral process. NEC Commissioners and Secretariat staff gave a comprehensive briefing on recent achievements and continued challenges, including:

• Adoption of regulations for observers, media, party agents, and election campaigns.
• Adoption and signing of the NEC Code of Conduct for professional election management.
• Development of a civic and voter education strategy, with plans to roll out a nationwide civic education campaign upon receipt of financial resources.
• Refurbishment and construction of State High Election Committee offices, in order to operationalize electoral offices across the country.
• Regular engagement with electoral stakeholders at national and state levels.
• Development of an indicative draft electoral operations timeline, based on assumptions that depend on political decisions, legal clarity, and funding.
• Impact of limited political will, legal clarity, and funding, in addition to other challenges, such as civic and political space, including election security, on the electoral operating environment.

In a spirit of open discussion, stakeholders shared perspectives on the need for political decisions and commitment, legal clarity, adequate funding, security, and space for civil society to engage citizens and political parties to form, campaign and reach out to voters.  NEC officials emphasized the importance of stakeholders’ support in enabling timely decisions and funding to move forward with election preparations.

NEC Chairperson, Prof. Abednego Akok Kacuol, acknowledged stakeholders feedback, stressed the limited time remaining, and called for consensus and prompt actions to support electoral progress to be made.

“We appreciate all of your comments, but we urge you, especially the parties to the Peace Agreement, to dialogue and reach consensus quickly on the necessary political decisions to address legal gaps and ensure sufficient and timely funding for the electoral process,” said Hon. Prof. Abednego.

The NEC reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to organizing credible, inclusive, and peaceful elections, guided by principles of transparency and democratic participation.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment for urgent advocacy and to continue stakeholder engagements, to build trust in the electoral process, and strengthen civic and political space for inclusive citizen participation in the elections, recognizing that credible elections are foundational to peace and democratic development in South Sudan.

For further information, please contact:
National Elections Commission – Spokesperson
info@nec.gov.ss
www.nec.gov.ss

On 13 August 2025, the United Nations Integrated Electoral Assistance Team (UNIEAT) successfully dispatched a consignment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment to strengthen electoral operations across the country.

The shipment included desktop computers, office printers, and Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems—essential tools for the smooth conduct of election activities.

This initiative is part of UNIEAT’s ongoing commitment to enhance the technical and operational capacity of the National Election Commission (NEC) at the national level, as well as the State High Election Committees (SHECs) at the state level. By equipping these institutions with modern ICT equipment, UNIEAT seeks to facilitate efficient election administration and improved communication between the NEC and the SHECs.

The first phase of distribution covered six states: Eastern Equatoria, Western Equatoria, Central Equatoria, Western Bahr el Ghazal, Lakes, and Northern Bahr el Ghazal. The remaining states will receive their consignments once renovation and construction of their offices are finalized.

The newly delivered ICT equipment is expected to play a critical role in improving preparedness at the state level, enabling electoral bodies to carry out their responsibilities more effectively. UNIEAT remains firmly committed to supporting the NEC and SHECs as the country prepares for the upcoming elections.

Rumbek – Lakes State

Wau – Western Bahr el Ghazal

UNMISS Tomping Logistics Base – Preparing to ship equipment to the States

Yambio – Western Equatoria State

On the 24th of July 2025, as part of preparations for the general elections scheduled for December 2026, the Election Security Committee (ESC), chaired by the National Police Service (NPS), and includes representatives of the National Elections Commission (NEC) and the UN Integrated Electoral Assistance Team (UN IEAT) presented findings of assessments of NPS premises in 10 states and the Ruweng Administrative Area to  the Acting Minister of Interior,  the Chairperson of the National Elections Commission, representatives of civil society and the Senior Leadership of the National Police Service.The assessment exercises that began in February 2025 and that completed in July 2025 were to establish the requirements for the re-establishment of Joint Electoral Operations Centers (JEOCs) across the country.  The assessment of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area is planned to take place in August 2025.

The establishment of JEOCs at the national and sub-national level are an important security, information sharing and coordination mechanism amongst relevant electoral stakeholders, namely the NEC, NPS, and the broader security apparatus of South Sudan.  The assessments, conducted under the leadership of NPS, in partnership with the NEC and UN IEAT, revealed that in all locations the pre-existing JEOC structures utilized for the 2010 elections and the 2011 referendum were badly damaged during the 2013 conflict, hence will require reconstruction and refurbishing.

The NPS and NEC expect the JEOCs to play an essential role as the key mechanism for election security coordination, including prevention of electoral violence and support election security operations. The recommendation of the ESC is to re-establish JEOCs in all states and administrative areas for election security coordination and support the building of trust and confidence for a credible, inclusive and peaceful electoral process across the country.

Under the auspices of the IGP, the Elections Security Committee presented the findings to raise awareness around the status of JEOCs and the need to allocate funding to the reconstruction and refurbishment of such electoral security structures.

On June 13, 2025, the National Elections Commission (NEC) commenced the rollout of a Master Trainers’ Program for Civic Educators. This training program was rolled out in two sessions, from June 10-13 and 17-20, 2025, in Juba, and included 50 participants from the NEC, including representatives from the State High Elections Committees (SHEC), as well as state and non-state actors. The training was based on the NEC’s civic and voter education strategy, with support from the United Nations Integrated Electoral Assistance Team (UN IEAT). In this context, the NEC training manual on civic education covers five topics: i) democracy; ii) governance; iii) human rights; iv) elections; and v) peacebuilding, and an additional program to support civic educators’ presentation and training skills.

The training program aimed to assist NEC, SHEC, civil society, and other stakeholders in concepts, approaches, and activities on civic education to support a harmonized approach to civic education initiatives by the NEC and other electoral stakeholders in South Sudan.

The NEC has prioritized civic and voter education and sustained stakeholder engagement to bolster an electoral process that is transparent, inclusive, and peaceful. By the end of the program, two cohorts of master trainers were trained, a total of 50 trainers. Subsequent to this master training program, a training of trainers, composed of civil society, youth groups, and other stakeholders, will be rolled out at the state and county levels in order to support a nationwide electoral-focused civic education initiative.

“Forging partnerships and collaboration with key stakeholders such as state entities, civil society, media, and political parties will be instrumental in conducting a nationwide civic and voter education program”, remarked Honorable Thabo Abosuh Ajang, NEC Commissioner responsible for civic and voter education.

On 13^th May 2025, Vice President Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel held a consultative meeting with the Chairperson of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Prof. Abednego Akok Kacuol, to discuss ongoing preparations for the upcoming general elections scheduled in December 2026 – with particular focus on delivering credible and timely elections.

During the meeting, Prof. Akok presented a comprehensive progress report, outlining key milestones achieved over the past two years and the roadmap ahead as South Sudan approaches a defining moment in its democratic trajectory.

Vice President Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel reaffirmed the full support of the Government of His Excellency President Salva Kiir Mayardit in ensuring NEC is adequately resourced and empowered to fulfil its mandate.

He further emphasized the conduct of peaceful, fair, and credible elections is not only a national obligation but also essential to democratic growth and sustainable stability.  The Vice President urged all institutions, stakeholders, and citizens to unite in the spirit of patriotism in this vital endeavor. The success of these elections depends on a collective commitment to ensure that every South Sudanese voice is heard, every vote counts, and that together, we build a future rooted in peace, democracy, and inclusive governance.

The Media Authority and the National Communication Authority (NCA) co-chaired a Stakeholders’ workshop held on 7^th May 2025 at Telecom House, Juba, under the theme “Unpacking Elections Media Communication Matrix”.  The event brought together key institutions including South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC), the Information Commission and the Universal Service Access Fund (USAF), with guidance from the Competent Minister of ICT and Postal Services.

The workshop focused on the upcoming General Elections process to ensure transparency, inclusivity and credibility to reflect the democratic aspirations of the South Sudanese people. The program was centered around enhancing voter education to ensure that every eligible citizen is well-informed about their rights and responsibilities. It also aimed to promote peaceful participation by fostering an environment of tolerance and respect. Another strategy was designed to combat misinformation, providing accurate and reliable information to counter false narratives; and furthermore, to ensuring equitable media access to all political parties and empowering citizens to make informed decisions.

The workshop brought together representatives from a diverse range of stakeholder groups which included National Election Commission, Political Parties, Civil Society Organizations, Media Fraternity, UN Agencies, Donors, Academia, Government and Law Enforcement Agencies.

Opening remarks were delivered by senior government officials and stakeholders including Hon. George Lemi Yata (Spokesperson – National Election Commission), Hon. Oliver Mori Benjamin (Spokesperson – Transitional National Legislative Assembly), Hon. Elijah Alier Kuai (Managing Director, Media Authority) and Edmund Yakani (Executive Director – Community Empowerment for Progress Organization);  among others.

This collaborative initiative demonstrated a unified commitment to strengthening media engagement and access to information during election.

The National Election Commission (NEC) attended two customized modular workshops on Boundary Delimitation and Voter Registration in Juba supported by the United Nations Integrated Election Assistance Team (UN-IEAT). The trainings, held between 25-28 March and 1-4 April 2025, utilized the BRIDGE (Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections), a comprehensive capacity development curriculum for election management bodies worldwide.

The two workshops brought together over 50 participants NEC Commissioners, members of the secretariat as well as members of the State High Election Committees (SHECs) from all 10 states.

The trainings were designed to equip NEC and electoral stakeholders with the knowledge to analyze implications of electoral boundary decisions and shed light on foundational principles of effective voter registration systems. The workshops are part of a capacity building series that provide platforms for electoral administrators to continue preparing South Sudan for its national elections scheduled in December 2026.

The National Elections Commission (NEC) held a stakeholder engagement consultative meeting on 17 January 2025 with a diverse group of civil society organizations (CSOs) including faith-based organizations, academia and media from South Sudan. The objective of the half-day engagement focused on raising awareness on the electoral process and key updates related to the electoral timeline and preparations.

Over 60 CSOs participated in the event who welcomed NEC’s initiative to strengthen dialogue with electoral stakeholders and exchange crucial information about the progress of electoral preparations and challenges, such as proposed timelines for constitutional review, population census and elections, electoral legal framework and budget constraints.

This series of stakeholder engagements form part of the Commission’s action plan adopted during a retreat in Entebbe, Uganda, in December 2024. The consultative meeting was NEC’s second stakeholder meeting, following a similar one held with political parties on 17 December 2024.